Thursday, May 1, 2008

It's due WHEN?

Right at 9:00 -- when we open -- Lady called to find out if we could find her a picture of David Livingstone's tomb and print it out for her. I did a quick Google Image Search and found one, and asked if she had internet access. She claimed that because she was a senior citizen, she didn't know how to use a computer (I should address this in a future rant). I told her that she could come in and we could show her how to do it. She said she'd be in around 11.

Then she asked me if we had any books on him that might have his picture in them. If I could do this for her, it would save her some time because...

SHE HAS TO GIVE A TALK ABOUT THE DUDE AT 1:00.

Nothing like waiting until the last minute! I told her I would look, and we'd see her at 11. Thank goodness we had one kids' book at our branch with a photo of Livingstone. There is also a small, rather grainy-looking painting of him in Encyclopedia Britannica. And, of course, on the Internet. I almost wanted to inform her that all the books on Livingstone were at other branches. Seriously, people.

Yesterday some library science student wanted me to answer his homework questions for him. Research questions. Over the phone! HELLO. This is going to be your JOB one day. I pointed him to some databases the library subscribes to. I should have gotten his full name so I could remember it if I ever have to hire somebody. I'd hire somebody else.

And the day BEFORE yesterday. A high-school-aged girl came in needing to do a paper on art in the renaissance period. When I took her to peruse the section where we have art books, she hummed to herself while looking at a completely different part of the shelves. I realized that she didn't seem to care much about what she got, so I handed her a couple of circulating art encyclopedias that had some general info in them. She took them without even glancing at them. I said, good luck!